The Young Family
by is butter a carb
Summary: [Post RPP] [Second CRA Fic Ever!] On the eve of her best friend's wedding, Rachel informs her husband, Nick Young, that she is six weeks pregnant. Follow their journey as expecting parents in the world of billion-dollar companies, designer clothing, and crazy rich relatives in-law.
1. An Unexpected Surprise

Chapter One

 **A/N: Welcome to The Young Family. This is my third fanfiction and if you're coming from my other fanfictions, I'm sorry I haven't been able to update, I just had to get this story out because I had a sudden lightning bolt of inspiration to write this. Also, this is set after the final book of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy _Rich People Problems_** **, if you haven't read that, you might be a bit lost, but I will try to explain as the story goes along.**

 **Disclaimer: The part in italics, in the beginning, is an excerpt from the epilogue in** ** _China Rich Girlfriend_** **. I did not write that myself, all credits go to Kevin Kwan, the author.**

 _"_ _He's adorable." Rachel paused for a moment, as if deciding whether to say something. "I'm so happy she had her baby now…because he's going to be the perfect playmate for ours."_

 _Nick looked at his wife with eyes huge as saucers. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"_

 _Rachel nodded, with a smile._

 _Nick hugged her excitedly. "When? Why didn't you tell me?"_

 _"_ _I was waiting for the right moment. I took the test a couple of days ago-I'm six weeks along."_

Rachel and Nick swayed on the dancefloor, together in an intimate embrace. His hand on her hip and her forehead rested on his. Before they could lean into a tender kiss in the middle of the dancefloor, Rachel felt someone slap her shoulder lightly and she jumped back in surprise.

"Rachel!" cried Peik Lin, now wearing a flowing, red gown with a plunging neckline instead of her wedding dress. Of course she changed her outfit. Her husband, Alistair Cheng stood next to her, a wide smile across his face. "Save the kissing for later. It's time to dance!" Peik Lin grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her into a spin. Rachel shot her husband a frantic look.

 _'_ _Do I tell her?_ ' she mouthed and Nick simply shrugged. She rolled her eyes at his offhand answer before she was whisked away by Peik Lin in an eager dance.

"That's better!" Peik Lin said, having to raise her voice over the loud band playing. They danced energetically to the fast-paced music before Rachel felt out a breath.

"I'm going to sit down for a bit," Rachel said breathlessly, letting go of Peik Lin's hand. She felt guilty at the sight of her best friend's disappointed face, but she could hardly dance any longer.

"If you're going to stop dancing, at least have some vodka," Peik Lin said, smiling once again before rushing off with Rachel to the bar. "I would do an open bar, but I would be in debt but the time the wedding's over. I mean, look at my uncle over there." She gestured towards a man with a tight bowtie, sipping gingerly on a glass of wine. "He would've been wasted by now if I had an open bar, but look at him, can't even afford more than two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon."

"Two vodka on the rocks," Peik Lin said to the bartender. "Less ice, more vodka," she added with a wink. The bartender expertly poured vodka over a meagre amount of ice into two glasses before pushing them towards Rachel and Peik Lin.

Peik Lin picked up her glass and held it towards Rachel. "To married life!" she said. Rachel squirmed awkwardly in her seat. She knew she couldn't have any alcohol.

"Um- Peik Lin, I'm not having an alcohol for a bit," Rachel admitted, looking at her glass sitting idly on the bar top. Peik Lin scoffed.

"Are you on one of the American diets?" she asked, downing her glass. "You look great, Rachel."

"Follow me," Rachel said suddenly, walking towards a secluded spot in the garden. "I don't want anyone overhearing us." Peik Lin raised an eyebrow at her friend's sudden secrecy, but followed her into the garden, drinking Rachel's vodka on the rocks instead.

Rachel sat down on a stone bench and patted the spot next to her. She took a deep breath and began to talk. "About a week ago I was feeling nauseous about every day," she said. "So I started taking normal over the counter medicine for that."

"I'm pretty sure you were just hung over," Peik Lin interjected, but quickly closed her mouth when her friend gave her a cold look. "Sorry, sorry, continue."

"A few days after that, I realised I wasn't getting any better so I took a test," Rachel continued and Peik Lin gave her a confused look. "To be more specific, a pregnancy test." Peik Lin's eyes widened and she opened her mouth in surprise.

"OH MY GOD, RACHEL!" she cried before clapping her hands over her mouth when Rachel shushed her.

"It came back positive."

"OH MY GOD, RACHEL!" Peik Lin couldn't help herself from yelling in excitement. She wrapped her arms around Rachel and gave her a very enthusiastic hug. "CONGRATULATIONS!"

"Thank you, Peik Lin," Rachel said, grinning. "Could you keep this to yourself? Just for a bit. I want to tell Nick's family myself."

"Sure, sure," Peik Lin said nonchalantly, knowing fully that she struggled at keeping secrets and exceeded at gossiping. "Just for you." Rachel smiled, but a part of her knew Peik Lin would struggle at keeping this little secret. She always had been talkative since university.

"Ready to re-join the party?" Rachel asked, watching Peik Lin finish of her vodka.

"Of course," Peik Lin said, linking her arm with Rachel's, leading her back to the strobing lights and loud band. They crossed the dance floor, where they found Alistair dancing with a slightly abashed Nick.

"Why do you look so tense, cousin?" A clearly intoxicated Alistair asked, confidently dancing next to Nick. "Have a few drinks, loosen up."

Nick waved Alistair's proposal away. "I'm driving tonight," he said dismissively, wrapping an arm around Rachel's waist.

"Don't you have a chauffeur?" Alistair asked, clearly baffled by the idea of someone having to drive themselves. Peik Lin shot Alistair a look and he just shrugged, dropping his argument. She leaned over to Rachel and whispered frantically in her ear.

"Can I please tell him?" she pleaded. "I can't keep secrets from him. You know that." Rachel sighed, but wasn't surprised. She was expecting Peik Lin to tell him sooner or later.

"Darling," Peik Lin said and gestured Alistair to bring his ear closer to her. "They're expecting!" Alistair grinned as soon as Peik Lin shared the news.

"Finally!" he said, giving Nick a friendly clap on the back and kissing Rachel on her cheek. "Auntie Eleanor's going to freak out. She's been wanting grandchildren since your wedding day!" Nick winced. Ever since he and Rachel had wed, his mother, Eleanor Young had become obsessed with the idea of having grandchildren. Despite her craziness and traditional point of view, Nick loved his mother, but he knew she would undoubtedly try teaching his child how to walk before it was even out of the womb.

"You haven't told her, have you?" Alistair asked, surveying his cousin's reaction. Nick nodded in reply and Rachel squeezed his hand supportively. "Don't worry, Nicky, your secret's safe with me, and Peik Lin, of course." Nick smiled, but he gave Rachel a knowing look. That was exactly what Peik Lin had said before she told Alistair.

Rachel felt a wave of fatigue wash over her and she leaned into Nick's shoulder. "Do you want to go home?" he asked and Rachel shook her head.

"I don't want to miss the party," she moaned.

"Come here," Nick said, and he hoisted her onto his back. "We're going to go now." Peik Lin and Alistair both looked disappointed but waved them goodbye as Nick piggy-backed Rachel off of the dance floor.

"Did you give them our gift?" Rachel asked in his ear and Nick nodded. "We should say goodbye to all the aunts and uncles."

"Stop worrying. We'll see them tomorrow," Nick said. "But for now, let's get you back home." Rachel rested her chin on his shoulder as he carried her towards the gate of Tyersall park. He opened the door to the passenger seat of their black Mercedes-Maybach and climbed into the driver's seat.

Driving away from Tyersall park, realization suddenly dawned on Nick.

"I'm going to be a father," he said, voicing his thoughts aloud. Rachel turned to him and smiled wistfully at the thought of her childhood. Although she had loved living with only her mother, she had longed for her father which she had believed to be dead until two years ago.

"Yes you are," Rachel said and Nick flushed in embarrassment, not realising he had said his thoughts aloud. "You're going to be the best father. Ever." Holding the steering wheel with one arm, he reached out with her other and held Rachel's hand. His thumb traced circles around her hand while he kept his eyes trained on the road.

"I love you, Rachel Young," he declared and Rachel blushed. Over their years of dating and, finally, marriage, she never got used to him saying that. She felt her heart skip a beat every time and her face melt into an enormous smile.

"I love you too, Nicholas Young," she replied warmly, squeezing his arm and rested her head on his shoulder as they pulled up into the driveway of their luxurious villa. They had made the decision to move to Singapore so they could be closer to Tyersall park, so had Colin and Araminta.

"Come on, sleepyhead," Nick said, pulling his keys out of the car and exited the vehicle. "Let's get you to bed." He opened Rachel's door for her and bent down.

"Oh, Nick, not another piggy back," she said. "I can walk on my own." However, he stayed in the position, unwilling to move, and Rachel groaned. Aside from Eleanor Young herself, he was the most stubborn person she knew. Reluctantly, she climbed onto his back and squealed as he stood up suddenly.

He closed her door and locked the car before ambling up the walkway into their home. There awaited Vikram, the ex-bodyguard of Su Yi's, at their doorstep.

"Welcome home, Mr and Mrs Young," he said, opening the door for them.

"Vikram, Nick and Rachel," Rachel said sleepily. "Mrs Young makes me feel old." Vikram gave her a small smile and gestured for them to enter, closing the door behind them.

With Rachel still on his back, Nick padded upstairs into their master bedroom. Carefully, he placed Rachel on the white sheets, taking off her heels and pulling her hair out of its up do. Tucking her under the sheets, he gave her a kiss on the forehead goodnight.

"Good night, my love," he said and she gave him a quick kiss. "Good night, my other love," he added, placing a kiss on Rachel's stomach making her giggle. Pre-occupied with getting Rachel to bed, Nick had realised that he was exhausted. Kicking off his shoes and pulling off his jacket, he too was fast asleep.

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. The chapters will hopefully get longer as the story progresses so don't worry! Please follow, favourite & review! It means a lot to me. **


	2. The Youngs, Shangs and T'siens

**A/N: Hi, sorry for the wait between chapter one and two. I had a bit of writer's block and I was trying to finish off a chapter for my other story. Enjoy!**

Family dinner with the Youngs, Shangs and T'siens were never Rachel's highlight of the day. After Tyersall Park became Tyersall Park Museum and Hotel, the whole family rarely met up there with the exception of special events such as Peik Lin and Alistair's wedding. Now, family dinners would rotate between each family member's house and Rachel was dreading today because it was her and Nick's turn to host.

Usually, the gathering would be small and intimate due to everyone being elsewhere, however, now everyone was in town for the wedding and Rachel was sure that they would all be coming for dinner. Although she enjoyed cooking, it clearly wasn't going to be an option with the number of guests coming over so she had no choice but to hire professional help. Hired cooks filled the spacious kitchen bent over steaming pots, rapidly chopped vegetables and steamed dumplings while her flour-covered husband sat down on the kitchen island assembling dumplings.

"Are you sure we can't just get the cooks to do the dumplings?" Nick asked, pouting his lip like an upset child. He carefully placed a spoonful of the filling into the dumpling and expertly folded the pastry over. Rachel clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"You know your mother would judge any dumpling a cook makes," she replied, bending over to help assemble dumplings alongside him. "It's got to have the Young family touch. She could sniff out a fake from a mile away." She pinched along the edge of the dumpling, sealing it shut, before placing it into the steaming basket. Nick laughed at the comment, his eyes remaining trained on the dumplings.

"Please tell me that's pork not beef!" Rachel cried, rushing over to a cook placing a tray of meat into the oven. The cook looked up, alarmed as she pulled the meat out of the oven.

"I-It's beef, Mrs Young," she replied shakily and Rachel groaned loudly, wiping her flour-coated hands on her apron.

"Kitty's on a no-beef diet!" Rachel said exasperatedly, sighing, and Nick looked up in surprise.

"The Bings are coming?" Nick asked and Rachel shot him a look.

"Of course, Nick!" she replied, pulling pork fillets out of the fridge and taking them out of the plastic. "Kitty's investing in Tyersall Park and she's good friends with Araminta. There's no way we're not inviting her."

"No, no, it's not Kitty I'm worried about," Nick quickly added, his face suddenly become stormy and Rachel shot him a confused look. "Colette," he muttered and Rachel sighed. Colette Bing, the daughter of Jack Bing, Kitty's husband, was a stuck-up, spiteful brat. She had once been friends with Rachel but after a horrific poisoning incident involving her assistant, they hadn't spoken since (with the exception of one heated argument that had went viral).

"She's not invited, okay?" Rachel said, walking over to squeeze Nick's hand in comfort. Even the thought of Colette Bing made his blood boil. "I don't think she can come anyway, with the state she's in." Nick laughed sourly at Rachel's comment. A couple months back, Colette had been involved in a certain accident involving unstable electrical cables and a very expensive rose gold-plated dress. Putting two and two together, she obviously didn't bounce back immediately.

Rachel smoothed down her pomegranate-red Givenchy cocktail dress at the sound of the door opening. It was made of the softest silk she had ever felt and draped across her figure elegantly. However, when she showed off her ensemble to Nick, he had commented that she resembled a traditional lucky red envelope.

"Astrid!" she greeted, rushing over to rush her cousin-in-law. As always, Astrid looked sophisticated in a mauve lace dress with a mock turtleneck and dangling diamond earrings glistening on her ears. "Good to see you too, Charlie." She accepted a kiss from him on her cheek. After moving onto an island with Charlie and Cassian, Astrid seemed more relaxed and her skin was a golden caramel colour.

"Nicky!" Astrid cried and went to go give her cousin a hug but recoiled at his flour covered shirt. "You're all mucky!" She pulled out a tissue from a box on the kitchen island and quickly began to attempt to dust the flour off his shirt, but he waved her away.

"No worries, Astrid. I'm getting changed in a minute," he pulled off his apron and gave his cousin a quick kiss on the cheek. "Astrid, Charlie. Rachel and I have news." It took a moment for Rachel to register what he meant as 'news', but a wide smile quickly appeared on his face.

"I'm pregnant!" she said excitedly, a child-like squeal present in her announcement. Astrid's face lit up and she squeezed Rachel in a tight hug.

"Congratulations!" she said and the married couple beamed.

"I wanted to tell you before I told everyone else," Nick said happily, Charlie giving him a friendly hug. "It seemed right." Nick smiled, lost in a happy daze before Rachel swatted him.

"Your mother's arriving soon!" she said suddenly and Nick blinked at her in surprise. "What do you think she's going to say when she sees you covered in flour! Go change, darling." Nick hurried up the stairs, pulling off his dirty shirt and replacing it with a clean, white collared-shirt. He was busy pulling a black suit jacket on top when he heard the sound of heels clicking into the room.

"They're going to eat her alive, you know, Nicky?" said Astrid, entering the room and closing the door behind her. She sat down on the bed and crossed her arms. "All the aunts, I mean." Nick simply shrugged.

"One way or another, they're going to find out," he replied, smoothing down the front of his jacket. "Anyways, they don't hate Rachel anymore, or think he's some gold-digging vixen."

"Your mother's going to go crazy over her expecting grandchild," Astrid said, standing up to fix Nick's collar. "I don't think you should everyone tonight. It doesn't feel right, but that's just my opinion." Nick fidgeted with the golden cufflinks on his sleeve.

"I want to tell my mother, though," he sighed, running his fingers through his perfectly tousled hair. "But if I tell her, she'll tell all the other aunts, I know, and you know how the aunts are." He paused, not knowing how to describe his mother's friends.

"Crazy? Extremely talkative?" Astrid suggested honestly and Nick couldn't agree more. He was certain they gossiped more than discussing the bible during their bible study sessions together. "Everyone our family talks to our big gossips. Take Celine Lim for example, her nickname is Radio Asia One, what does that tell you about her?" Celine was the biggest gossip Nick had known. She was the one who had managed to get the news of him dating Rachel from New York all the way to Singapore.

"Nick? Astrid?" called Rachel's voice from downstairs. "Eleanor and Philip are here." Nick's face blanched and Astrid suppressed a smile at the sight of his sudden change in expression.

"We better go, Nicky," she said, exiting the room. "You know better than to leave your mother waiting." Nick adjusted his suit jacket one last time and quickly checked his appearance in the mirror before hurrying down the stairs to greet his mother.

"Mum!" Nick said as his mother gave him a tight hug. "It's good to see you." He his father a hug as well, he rarely saw his father due to his work in Australia. Nick was certain that Philip spent more time in Australia working than Singapore with his family. The sound of footsteps and loud chattering at the door announced the arrival of even more guests.

Alexandra "Alix" Cheng and Felicity Leong entered the room. They carried bottles of expensive champagne and outrageously large Gucci bags. Rachel wouldn't be surprise if they had a puppy hiding in there, or a cat for that matter.

"Rachel! It's so great to see you," Eleanor said, approaching Rachel to give her an air-kiss on both cheeks. Rachel smiling awkwardly and returning the gesture. "There's something different about you." Rachel froze and shot Nick a look that she hoped he understood as ' _does your mother have crazy telepathic abilities that I had no idea of?'_ Nick interpreted her stare as one of mild confusion and he shot her one in return.

"Well, um… I-" Rachel stammered nervously, turning to Nick for support. The evening was definitely not going as they had planned.

"New lipstick! Right, Rachel?" cried Aunty Felicity suddenly, pushing a bottle of champagne into Rachel's arms. Astrid, who had been watching the awkward encounter, felt grateful for her mother's interruption, although she wasn't on good terms with her currently. Ever since she had moved to the island with Charlie and Cassian, her mother and father had been upset with her. Well, upset was an understatement. Astrid had never seen her father as mad as he had been.

From that conversation onwards, the dinner went smoothly. Eleanor had remarked on the quality of the dumplings, which had made Nick beam in pride, and Kitty had only called Rachel and Nick's sizeable villa 'quaint' or 'compact' twice. Nick knew that tonight was the night to share the news of Rachel's pregnancy. Since Alistair and Peik Lin's nuptial festivities had ended, everyone would be leaving Singapore soon to return to their homes.

After dessert had been served, Nick stood up from his seat at the head of the table to make an announcement. To capture the attention of all the guests, he daintily tapped his teaspoon against his champagne glass. Rachel gave him a nervous look as she stood up and he reached to hold her hand in his.

"Hi, everyone," Nick said, setting down his champagne glass and spoon back onto the table. "Thank you all for coming to dinner at our house, Rachel and I hope you've all had a great time." Peik Lin gave Rachel a small smile. "We have news for you." Nick gulped nervously and Rachel nodded encouragingly at her husband.

"You're moving houses?" Kitty interjected and her husband, Jack, shushed her. With a guilty look on her face for interrupting, she turned her attention back to the couple.

"We're having a baby!" Rachel said finally and the room went silent for a moment. She specifically focused on Eleanor, searching for a reaction.

"Oh, Nicky!" cried her mother-in-law, standing up from her seat to rush over to Nick. "Finally I will have grandchildren! You have been keeping me waiting for too long now, my son." Everyone stood up from their seats; congratulating Rachel and Nick or chattering amongst themselves about the expecting Young child.

"Congratulations, Rachel," Carlton said, his girlfriend, Scheherazade Shang, at his side. He enveloped Rachel in a hug and shook Nick's hand. Rachel beamed at her brother and felt her insides bubble with happiness.

"When's the baby shower?" asked a voice from the doorway. Rachel and Nick were taken aback because they weren't expecting anymore guests. In walked a tall, slim figure wearing a golden Chanel gown. Her 6-inch Prada heels clicked on the marble flooring as she entered the room to all the surprised faces.

"Colette."

 **A/N: End of chapter! Looks like Colette Bing has crashed the baby shower. I mean, I'm not surprised. Also, if you're wondering what made Nick hate Colette so much, it's because her assistant poisoned Rachel and caused organ failure. Yikes! There's also the fact that's she is extremely stuck-up, a bit of a brat if you ask me! Anyway, tell me what you're thinking about this in the reviews!**


	3. Family Matters

**A/N: Wow, it's been so long I've almost forgotten how to do this... Anyway, I can't emphasise how sorry I am for leaving you all hanging for so long. It's been just over a month since I've updated all three of my stories, but I'm trying to get back into writing. I love writing stories like these for you all, but I just haven't been in the mood lately to write and I open my computer, but I just can't seem to type anything. This chapter has been long in the making and has been completed sentence by sentence. Literally.**

 **Also, please don't leave reviews in 'CAPITAL LETTERS' with lots of 'EXCLAMATION MARKS!' telling me to update ASAP. If you think that's helping your case, it really isn't, it's a bit annoying, but when I see lovely reviews from my lovely followers, that's really nice. I don't want to be blunt, but that's just how it is.**

 **(Also, if you're coming from my two other stories HTH and ANB, I'm working on the chapters, but sorry! I love both of those stories very much, I just haven't been getting much inspiration lately!)**

They say that the Devil wears Prada and Colette Bing was no exception. As she stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame and clicking her silver scalloped Prada heels, which clashed horribly with her skimpy golden Chanel dress, in Astrid's opinion, on the marble flooring.

"So you all decided to have a party without me?" Colette asked, sauntering into the room with her new assistant hurrying behind her. She gestured for her assistant to leave her tower of gift boxes on the floor.

"Colette," Rachel said through gritted teeth, Nick standing protectively in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in town and heard of a big gathering at the Young's, so I decided to drop-by," she said airily, waving her hand theatrically as she explained. "What's wrong with that?" she asked, suddenly pouting, widening her eyes like a puppy. Nick scoffed at her sad attempt of a pity party and he looked desperately to Vikram, their head of security.

"Vikram, please get her out of here," he asked harshly, shooting Colette daggers.

"Get lost, Colette," Carlton piped out, stepping away from Scheherazade. Colette froze. She began to notice the rest of the room, the big family staring icily at her, their postures frightening and strong. Her face fell for a moment. She was tempted to yell at them, or complain to her father, who was also in the room, but she quickly closed her mouth. After her father had married Kitty Pong, he had cancelled her credit cards.

"Fine," she hissed, spinning around in her heels and stamping out the room. No one would be surprised if her Prada heels left a hole in the ground. "Enjoy your gifts!" Colette sashayed out of the door, her assistant scurrying behind her, almost tripping over the stack of gift boxes. At first glance, Rachel could already notice numerous design brands. Burberry, Chanel, Moschino was printed on the lavish boxes.

"Bin them," Nick snapped, breaking the heavy silence looming over the dinner guests. "And every single thing that Colette Bing touched." His eyes were narrowed angrily and he gripped Rachel's hand protectively. Although Rachel detested Colette's bratty attitude and was terrified when she had been poisoned, she found that Nick was acting a little too overprotective.

"Nick…" she sighed and he turned around to face her, his face immediately relaxing. "It's fine." Normally, his wife's calming smile would've been enough to convince him, but Colette was a different matter. Now with a baby on the way, he was fiercely protective of Rachel.

"What do you think you're doing?" a voice called from behind them. A very furious Jack Bing stood from behind his wife. "That's my daughter!" Kitty opened her mouth as if she were about to support her husband, but quickly remembered who he was defending. Colette Bing. The bane of their marriage. The couple got along quite well with the exception of Kitty's daughter-in-law.

"That doesn't change what she's done, old man," snapped Peik Lin and Jack opened his mouth in horror. "I think you should leave." At her tallest, Peik Lin stood barely above 5 feet, but in her 6 inch platform Loubitons and menacing expression, Jack Bing appeared to shrink in comparison.

"You know what?" Nick said as Jack clasped his wife's hand and placed down his flute of Chandon Brut sparkling champagne. "Party's over. Go home everyone." He received offended glances from the guests, while others left without a word. What was a lively party had quickly died down into an almost empty room.

* * *

"What a night…" Astrid said, balancing her plate of dinner on one hand as she sat on the outdoor lounge, a very sleeping Cassian resting his head on her lap.

"Tell me about it," Peik Lin chimed in sitting close to her husband. "Has your mother left yet, Nick?"

Nick sighed exaggeratedly, placing his head into his hands. "After I dropped the baby bomb on her, there's no way she's every leaving," he said.

"Eleanor's great and all, but I have a feeling she's practically moved in," Rachel added, a wistful smile across her face. "She's sleeping in the guest room right now. She wanted to stay up to talk to me, probably about baby stuff, but I made her go to bed." Astrid laughed.

"That sounds just about right," she said, placing her plate down onto the coffee table. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's awake right now, enrolling your unborn baby into some fancy private school." Nick's tired expression cracked into a smile.

"…or arranging a marriage for him or her," Alistair added with a grin that widened when his wife laughed at his quip. "Probably with the child of a millionaire, or billionaire."

As she joked around with her group of close friends, Rachel felt happy. Really happy. This was the life she wanted for her child. No arranged marriages or fancy private schools, but laughter with friends and family. She looked up to Astrid as an example. Life on a peaceful island with Michael and Cassian had done wonders for her. Not that she wasn't great before, but this new life had made her a new person. More relaxed and happy, Astrid was glowing inside-out, not just from her golden tan.

"We should get going," Colin said, standing up while still clasping his wife's hand. It was passing midnight and their son was currently sleeping in the other guest bedroom. With family and friends always travelling in and out of the country, Nick and Rachel's home had many guest rooms that were, sometimes, not even enough. "We really don't want to intrude." Nick laughed at his best friends statement. Countless times when they were young, Nick would always escape Tyersall Park and find himself staying with Colin.

"No such thing," Nick replied and offered for Colin to stay the night with his wife and son, however his best friend waved off the offer.

"It's fine, Nicky, Minty and I are quite busy tomorrow anyway," he said, stacking the empty dinner plates to clean. "See you later, alright?" Nick nodded, giving him a one-handed hug and kissing Araminta on the cheek before the two left. After the departure of Colin and Araminta, everyone else decided to leave. After all, it had been a long night and a full-night's sleep was difficult to come by, even though it was almost one in the morning.

* * *

Nick carefully opened the door to his mother's room, the sounds of Rachel rinsing the dishes coming quietly from downstairs. He had purposely left the door ajar so he could open the door without disturbing her. He put his head through the doorway, but instead of finding his mother sound asleep (or intensely searching for colleges for his unborn-child), she saw him peering groggily at him from the head of the luxurious king-sized bed.

"Sorry, mum," he said quietly, stepping into the room and taking a seat at the foot of the bed. "Did I wake you?" She waved away his question and gestured for him to sit closer to her. Even at her age, his mother was the embodiment of beauty. Her dark, brown eyes that were often mistaken as black and the air of confidence she radiated made him feel small, almost as if he was still a little boy. Although, wrinkles lined her face and she looked tired, and it wasn't just from lack of sleep. Nick had always been close to his mother, but introducing Rachel to her had dramatically changed their relationship, yet he wouldn't change a thing.

It was as if Eleanor was threatened by Rachel. She viewed Nick as still the little boy who lived in Tyersall Park, but age had changed him and he brought new people into the confines of his life. It scared her, not being the number one person in her son's life, but she wasn't getting any younger. Eleanor wanted to fix her relationship with her son. Her desire for a grandchild had put a strain upon their relationship among many other factors, but now that news of her expecting grandchild had arrived, she felt guilty somewhat.

The silence between Eleanor and her son as they both sat in the bed wasn't tense, it was what silence should be. Empty.

"I'm sorry for many things, my son," she said finally and Nick looked up at her in surprise. She never apologised, not to him, anyway. "I'm very glad that you and Rachel are expecting a child. I just hope that it wasn't because of the pressure I put upon you two." Nick shook his head, not just in reply to her statement but in disbelief.

"It's okay," he replied, his voice small and an empathetic smile on his face. It felt nice to talk to his mother.

"Nick, I-I'm not getting any younger," she stated. Nick felt tempted to snap back a sarcastic comment, but he held his tongue as he returned a measured reply.

"I know."

"I want to be there for you, Nick. Through your journey in life." Eleanor winced inaudibly at sickly sentimentality in her statement, but she meant every word.

"You've definitely been there," Nick said, placing emphasis on 'definitely'. "You've been there a bit too much, I might add." His mother was always meddling in his business, sticking her nose in places where she shouldn't have.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that," she sighed, leaning back into the bed head. "A sorry won't fix it, but I'm going to step back. I want to be there for you, for what you want for your life." She opened her arms out to Nick. After a moment of hesitation, Nick leaned forwards and his mother enveloped him into a tight hug. Moments of affection like this were rare to come by with his mother.

"I love you, Nicky," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you too, mum."

 **A/N: Chapter three is finally out! I apologise for any spelling or grammatical errors, I didn't have time to proof-read!**

 **Word Count: 1651**


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